hey guys I know this is not a oldsmobile but it is my winter driver I bought very reasonably with not much mileage. the problem is and I need help quickly is a gear selector code on the screen it came up with no tranny problems period for now. I drove through a heavy puddle and it was very cold the next few nights I had zero problems before this though any ideas if this could lead to more problems?

 

any ideas from anyone?

 

hey with real respect is md mechanic out there he always has electrical advice that is correct. I need to know if this can shut me down and tows can be really expensive nowadays guys. I could take the train to work but if this is not a serious matter I will waite and maybe some sun and heat will fix it the olds is in my 1.5 garage for now.

 

I will check back around 20 minutes from now.

 

is mdchanic out there

 

please leave suggestions. I will check back tomorrow this could be serious and expensive guys and the weather is only getting colder.

 

Could you explain better of what you need? I am not making sense of your request... Others might be confused, too, hence no replies yet.

Are you getting a trouble code thrown?

 

I had the message come up on the display and thanks for the reply. the code comes up as a gear indicator switch and like i stated only after a water then freezing cold spurt and never before. I was wondering if this might be permanent or possibly weather related and if it could lead to further problems it seems to go away with some heat then returns upon start up,I am really baffeled on this situation. I will check back tommorow like i stated the message goes away when heat hits it but can this lead to further problems? by the way it only starts properly not in gear and shifts smoothly and better now.

 

hey rob thanks for responding i was wondering if you found out anything at all. i do not want further problems and i do not have experience with this issue. anybody else have info?

 

What code number is this? You can often find troubleshooting advice by Googling the trouble code number.

You can also get troubleshooting adivce from your local auto parts store. I know O'Reillys and Auto Zone both pull trouble codes for free. They can often print off a fault tree for you based on what trouble codes are present.

FWIW, my wife owned a 2003 VW Beetle that would illuminate the ABS light every winter when ice and slush froze behind the wheels. Every morning when the car was started in the garage the light was off, every afternoon when she started the car at work the ABS light was on.

 

I might think right now that water could have gotten into the tranny control cable/lever and perhaps limited its travel or such.
Continuing to drive the car should not cause any further problems, as long as it seems to be shifting correctly.
The range switch block is inside the tranny. Should enough slush have gotten into its electrical connector, a partial short might have occured and fooled the PCM in thinking the tranny was being bad. The connector should be water tight, but it is possible rodents may have chewed on them or gotten damaged somehow...
Keep us posted on this issue.
I have a '97 Seville and the service manuals are not too informative on this subject. Searches in a Caddy forum might net you some good info.

 

thanks a ton that is a load off my mind trannys are very expensive and we all learn something by asking questions. the locks only seem to click a little more when driving cold otherwise 0 problems.

 

hey rob it is now around december12th and i have no shifting problems at all. I have noticed that the code goes away after a lengthy heating and returns when cold only. the weather here in chicago has been beyond ice cold for a month now though. like i said earlier thanks rob this site helps more then most sites. i too like the pecking order of gm,cadillac,oldsmobile buick pontiac then chevys.

 

Glad it is not causing too much issue now. Nothing you can do but wait to see what it does. The growing complexity of cars will always make them do weird things in certain conditions.

 

I had a 98 caddy, that I got for a good deal because owner said it was shifting poorly. Turned out to be the shift solenoid....there was a recall on them due them being faulty. Due to the recall, I had no problem getting one from the local GM dealer....20$!...the car shifted perfectly from then on.....

 

So how hard was that to replace? It is inside the tranny, so i assumed difficult.

 

It was a few years back, but if I remember correctly, we dropped the tranny pan and the solenoid was sitting flush with the bottom of the tranny.Easy as changing a line fuse.

 

hey sammy thanks for the update on this, I like the idea of a simple tranny pan drop and fluid change when slightly warmer here in chicago,it is ice cold right now plus almost alaska weather and a 3 dog night around you. I apreciate the advice from you and rob,like i said earlier thanks and this is not getting worse or shifting badly right now just the code is coming up and works properly after warming. go gm and olds 98,s were patterned after caddys before i believe. I love olds for simple reasons going fast with a lot of class.

 

update on this for who needs to know, the car almost did not start for about 5 minutes and the drivers window in the cold does not operate, maybe there is a connection there literally. I waited and then the security system cut out and it started and then the gear selector code vanished, I believe the very cold weather caused this all. I am hoping for no more problems.

 

I found this problem for anyone needing info it became loose due to a underflush and is under the shift cable.